Should I be worried???

[Time_Bandit]

Thanks everyone for the advice so far.

I'll be honest....I have absolutely no idea what everyone is talking about with regard to DAN.

I guess 'DAN' will tell me, but what do you do for an ear imbalance???

I live in London, England...as someone asked (or mentioned it).

Tollie,

No my first dive (130 ft) was Bottom time of 9 minutes, and my second dive (100ft) was bottom time of 18 minutes......with a surface interval time between the two of 3.00hrs.

Someone asked about computers....I didn't have one but I my Instructor was wearing one......assuming it was working. It was in a poor country.

Thanks again so far.

 

[TheRedHead]

DAN stands for Divers Alert Network

Using the DAN Emergency Hotline
+1-919-684-8111 or +1-919-684-4DAN (Collect)

Whenever you need help, DAN is there. DAN's medical staff is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to handle diving emergencies such as decompression sickness, arterial gas embolism, pulmonary barotrauma, or other serious diving-related injuries. Each year, DAN answers more than 2000 calls on the diving emergency hotline from its members and divers.

When you call the DAN Emergency Hotline:

The numbers +1-919-684-8111 and +1-919-684-4DAN (-4326) are answered at the switchboard of Duke University Medical Center. Tell the operator you have a diving emergency. The operator will either connect you directly with DAN or have someone call you back at the earliest possible moment.
DAN's medical staff may make an immediate recommendation or call you back after making arrangements with a local physician or the DAN Regional Coordinator. DAN Regional Coordinators are familiar with chamber facilities in their area, and because they're qualified in diving medicine, they can make recommendations about treatment.
DAN's medical staff or Regional Coordinator may ask you to wait by the phone while they make arrangements. These plans may take 30 minutes or longer, as several phone calls may be required. This delay should not place the diver in any greater danger. However, if the situation is life-threatening, arrange to transport the diver immediately to the nearest local medical facility for immediate stabilization and assessment of his or her condition. Call DAN TravelAssist at 1-800-326-3822 at this time for consultation with the local medical provider.

If you have an ear baurotrauma, you need to be seen by a specialist. DAN, as mentioned above, can advise you on how to proceed.

Are you saying that your instructor was from a poor country and you don't necessarily trust his judgement? If he was diving a computer, then he probably had you surface when his computer said it was ok. Sounds like you were really diving his computer.

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks everyone for the advice so far.

I'll be honest....I have absolutely no idea what everyone is talking about with regard to DAN.

I guess 'DAN' will tell me, but what do you do for an ear imbalance???

I live in London, England...as someone asked (or mentioned it).

In England, I don't think DAN is such a great resource. If this was recent, call your local dive medicine resource for consultation - to see if you need help or not. But this was not today was it? If time has past, may not be needed now??

How do you feel now

Tollie,

No my first dive (130 ft) was Bottom time of 9 minutes, and my second dive (100ft) was bottom time of 18 minutes......with a surface interval time between the two of 3.00hrs.

Someone asked about computers....I didn't have one but I my Instructor was wearing one......assuming it was working. It was in a poor country.

Thanks again so far.

Bottom time is how long you were at the bottom of the dive. You said in the first post...

(although not all 18 minutes were actually at 100ft.....probably more time spent at roughly 90ft!)

So I take it that you were at 100 feet for less than 9 minutes?

If this is correct, I see no reason for worry unless you have current problems. You were probably sea sick on a rocking boat.

If this happened some time ago, and you are fine now, I see no reason to call anyone now.

 

[daniel f aleman]

I would've used a slower ascent rate given the dive profile AND I would have safety stopped at 10'-15' for ten minutes minimum on each dive.

 

[DandyDon]

oops

I would've used a slower ascent rate given the dive profile AND I would have safety stopped at 10'-15' for ten minutes minimum on each dive.

I started to ask if you'd done these dives, as your dive info doesnt show, then I saw your Sig. Corrected.

Why so long? I would have done 1 minute at 65 on the first, then 5 at 15, if on air. Would have preferred being on light nitrox. Ok, on air - maybe 1 at 65, then 1 at 30, then 5 at 15.

With a 3 hour SI, I don't see the 100 ft dive as anything big, with most of the time spent at 90 ft. Pushing limits, but again - 1 min at 45, 5 min at 15...?

 

[MoonWrasse]

Whilst on holiday I decided to do my Deep Diving Speciality. The following incident occurred.

I will give you the dive profile to help illustrate.....

1st Dive was to 130ft for 9 minutes (brings me to Pressure Group G)

Surface Interval 3.00hrs (Bringing me back to Pressure Group A)

2nd Dive was to 100ft for 18 minutes.

Now here is my concern.....

a) Using my RDP going to 40m (approx 130ft) gives me maximum of 9 minutes. This was fine. I then had a 3 hour SI and then dived to 100ft (approx 30m). Now using my RDP when I flip over to use table three my Residual Nitrogen is 3 and my Maximum bottom time is 17 minutes. As you can see I spent 18 minutes at 100ft (although not all 18 minutes were actually at 100ft.....probably more time spent at roughly 90ft!)

b) That I did two deep dives in one day (According to my RDP I should limit all repetitive dives to max of 30m (approx 100ft)

We only just about did our three minute safety stop. The thought of an EIGHT minute stop didn't even come into the Instructors mind!!!

When we got back on to the boat we had to wait for other divers (who hadn't gone so deep) for 10-15 minutes. Whilst waiting, the water (and therefore the boat) was very rough. It really made my head start spinning. My head was spinning for most of the evening and for a short period the next day!

Unless you are a Doctor I guess you wont make any sort of Diagnosis.....but I was slightly concerned that it may have been DCS.

I guess my question is, given the above Dive Profile....should I be worried about the fact that I went 1 minute over my limit without doing an 8 minute decompression (and the fact I did 2 deep dives in one day)???

By the way....I am 31, reasonably fit male!

Thanks in advance.

Ok I'm going to treat this as a "Click and Clack" puzzler

First, the 1 minute over and lack of increasing your safety stop to 8 minutes is a bit of a red herring.

Your instructor I'll bet was wearing a dive computer, and it may have said it was just fine to only make a 3 minute safety stop at 5 meters inspite of what your teaching materials says (PADI's deep specialty agrees with you btw).

Why a red herring? Because :

1) Even if you dove 1 minute less, you'd be at the limit, which is generally pushing things. If you had a computer on and it said you still had a minute of NDL prior to ascent, IMO that's pushing things too far. Other factors influencing DCS (which should be covered in your course) could negate those margins as "safe".

2) Assuming you only made a single safety stop after ascending from the deep to 5 meters, that's also not such a wise thing to do. There's a evidence that an additional half depth stop has far more influence on decreasing DCS likelyhood than taking a single long shallow safety stop.

3) If you research into it, "undeserved" DCS hits are not uncommon. DCS should better be analyzed by symptoms than exceeding mathematical models, IMO.


Anyway, congrats on taking the course and applying the knowledge to your diving. Sounds like you're on the right track to playing safe

 

[daniel f aleman]

oops

Why so long? I would have done 1 minute at 65 on the first, then 5 at 15, if on air. Would have preferred being on light nitrox. Ok, on air - maybe 1 at 65, then 1 at 30, then 5 at 15.

With a 3 hour SI, I don't see the 100 ft dive as anything big, with most of the time spent at 90 ft. Pushing limits, but again - 1 min at 45, 5 min at 15...?

I agree that the dive profile mentioned is not difficult, but, how do you know for sure after that first dive that you WILL get that three-hour SI? (And on air, at that.) Anything could happen. The one thing that I agree with GUE protocal is that you can never stay too long off-gassing at 10'. I would have also done a minute safety at 65' on the first dive and one minute at 50' on the second.

 

[JeffG]

The one thing that I agree with GUE protocal is that you can never stay too long off-gassing at 10'. I would have also done a minute safety at 65' on the first dive and one minute at 50' on the second.

I would of stopped even earlier. Actually, I wouldn't of done that dive.

 

[daniel f aleman]

I would of stopped even earlier. Actually, I wouldn't of done that dive.

I've done a lot deep dives over the years on air, but not since the age of 40. I would make an NDL air dive to 130' at my current age of 48, but I would need a real compelling reason to do so; and I sure wouldn't do any second dive after that first one done on air.

Edit: I do dive to depths greater than 100fsw still, but only on trimix. And, as always, never dive on any gas other than air unless you are trained to do so.

 

[Time_Bandit]

Both dives were on the 13th January so a little time has passed.

Do you think it is possible for me to e-mail DAN. The European one seems to be in Italy. Would E-mailing USA be better (if indeed I can e-mail)